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Without exaggerating, this could prove to be the most significant step forward in the 20 years I’ve been involved in Malawi.

Earlier this week, we received the very first Nthawi ya Baibulo (Chichewa Bible Time) lessons from the designer for final checking. I confess that I teared up when I saw them!

I started the Bible Time translation project some years ago, but sadly it had been foundering. Honestly, I was struggling to give it the attention it deserved. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic made it impossible for me to get to Malawi, making matters worse. However, over the past few months, we’ve managed to get the project back on track. This would not have been possible without the invaluable input of Anna & Watipaso. They have worked alongside our Malawian translators and proof-readers to bring this phase so much nearer to completion.

We believe that Nthawi ya Baibulo is going to be a huge step forward for the work in Malawi.

Opportunity to reach millions of young people with the Gospel

The United Nations reports that 51% of the population of Malawi is under 18 years old[1]. That’s around 10 million young people, most of whom have next-to-nothing. Millions of primary school students learn on the floor at school. There aren’t sufficient funds to provide desks and chairs!

Obviously we are sad to see how poorly resourced the education system is. However, this provides us with a great opportunity for the spread of the Gospel. Indeed, we have a golden opportunity to reach young hearts and minds with the Word of God.

Firstly, young people in Malawi don’t have the “things” which preoccupy young people in the developed world. Most young person in Malawi will not have attained the level of literacy of their counterparts in UK or North America. However, almost invariably they have much more interest in spiritual things.

Secondly, school teachers and students are always embarrassingly grateful for the smallest help you give them. Many schools do not have text books for their students. So, when we give each student their own, personal workbook this is like gifting the crown jewels.

Big Ambitions as we step forward with Nthawi ya Baibulo

SALT has great ambitions for Nthawi ya Baibulo – Bible Time – in Malawi. In 2021, we started a pilot project in Dzaleka Refugee Camp. Most of the children there speak the Swahili language. As Bible Time has already been translated into Swahili, we could easily to print courses locally using the existing translations.

The Swahili pilot has been very successful, so far. Now we want to take the next step forward by making the lessons available in Chichewa, to schools and after-school-clubs across the entire country. We have learned from experience that demand for Gospel Literature always exceeds supply in Malawi. Accordingly, we are thankful for everyone who partners with us to help us realise our ambition for this work.

Once the team completes proofing, design & checking, we will send the completed books for printing. We continually praise God for the work of Revival Movement / Every Home Crusade in Northern Ireland. They print and ship Bible Time lessons to so many parts of the world. They have already printed large quantities of literature for us, and will help with Bible Time printing. The financial contribution we make towards the production of our Gospel literature is a small drop in a very large bucket.

If you would like to partner with us as we step forward, the greatest thing you can do is pray. Please pray for the ongoing translation, design and proof-reading work. Please pray too for the printing of the lessons. And especially pray for the salvation of the many young people who we hope to provide with Nthawi ya Baibulo in the months ahead.

If you are interested in helping with the practical needs of this work, you may like to visit this page for further details.

[1] https://malawi.unfpa.org/en/topics/young-people-3#:~:text=Young%20people%20make%20up%20the,population%20is%20below%2018%20years